09-12-2021

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09-12-2021 Dr. E. Dale Locke (Loxahatchee, WPB & Online), Rev. Efrain Silva (COH Español) Sermon Series: I Am Community of Hope Week 2: Just this English PDF file for printing. Para imprimir el archivo PDF en Español  Icebreaker: After your first visit to Community of Hope, why did you decide to keep coming back?   1. Read our memory verse for this sermon series: Matthew 28:16-20: Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Read our mission statement together, which comes from those verses: Community of Hope exists to interest disinterested people in Jesus Christ and grow together into fully devoted followers of him.   2. Pastor Dale says there are two types of churches: museums for saints and hospitals for sinners.  Explain what he means by that.  What’s the difference between the two? 3. What do you think the average unchurched person thinks or feels about churches in general, and why do they feel that way? 4. Read Romans 2:4: Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? What thoughts or feelings come to you when you read this verse?   5. If you’ve ever observed a situation where kindness was an agent of change in someone’s life, share about that.  6. Pastor Steve Sjogren said: “I believe kindness brings with it incredible power to break down spiritual strongholds and to tee up human hearts to receive the Gospel.” How can our church build a culture of kindness for the sake of the Gospel? 7. Read 2 Timothy 2:23-26: Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. Notice the word “kind” in this passage.  Why does kindness work better than arguing when it comes to evangelism?  8. Jesus was accused of being a “friend of sinners” in Matthew 11:19.  What could we do as a church and as individuals to get a similar reputation today?   9. Read Titus 3:3-7: At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.  The Apostle Paul had a deep awareness of how much he needed God’s kindness when he was saved.  How did that awareness impact Paul’s outreach to people who were far from God?   10. Share a personal example of when you needed and received God’s kindness in your own life. 11. Gary Haugen in his book, Just Courage, tells of a time when he, his father, and his two older brothers were going to hike partway up Mount Rainier. Gary wasn’t sure he could make it and was so afraid that he persuaded his dad to let him stay in the visitor’s center for the afternoon. He writes:“The visitor’s center was warm and comfortable, with lots of interesting things to watch and read. I devoured the information and explored every corner, and judging by the crowd, it was clearly the place to be. As the afternoon stretched on, however, the massive visitor’s center started to feel awfully small. The warm air felt stuffy, and the stuffed wild animals started to seem just – dead. The inspiring loop videos about extraordinary people who climbed the mountain weren’t as interesting the sixth and seventh times, and they made me wish I could be one of those actually climbing the mountain instead of reading about it. I felt bored, sleepy, and small – and I missed my dad. I was totally stuck. Totally safe but totally stuck.“After the longest afternoon of my ten-year old life, Dad and my brothers returned flushed with their triumph. Their faces were red from the cold and their eyes clear with delight. They were wet from the snow, famished, dehydrated, and nursing scrapes from the rocks and ice, but on the long drive home they had something else. My brothers had stories and an unforgettable day with their dad on a great mountain.”Many Christians play it safe and miss out on the adventure of helping others come to Christ.  What risks could you take in the coming weeks to be part of Jesus’ Great Commission?    Getting practical:  ·      Plan ways to show kindness to the people you listed last week.  Keep praying for them!  ·      Look for opportunities to also drop a hint connecting your kindness to Jesus, so the people don’t just think you’re a nice person.·      Consider going out to a restaurant as a group. Look for ways to be especially kind to the server and tip them well.  Ready for your next step? – If you would like to take a next step in your faith journey, such as trusting your life to Christ or getting baptized, text the word “Next” to 561-264-6079 and follow the steps there, and we’ll contact you to help you do that. News and Announcements:·      New Here?  Let us know who you are by texting “connect” to 561-264-6079.·      Financial Peace University is Dave Ramsey's 9-week class that teaches you how to pay off debt, save and invest for your future. Our Loxahatchee FPU class will meet Thursdays at 7pm at the Loxahatchee Campus starting September 23. Free childcare is available. Course cost of $64/family is paid directly to Ramsey+. Register at https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/classes/1139003 ·      Our Support Groups are available for anyone to join. If you or someone you know needs support to get through a challenging season like grief, divorce, mental illness, recovery, go to our groups page to register: https://communityofhope.church/groups/  These groups are a great opportunity to connect someone you know to Jesus Christ. They are open to everyone, whether they’re believers or not.   ·      Our Skeptics group is designed for people who aren't yet sure about Christianity to provide a safe place to discuss typical barriers to faith like, “Why is there suffering and pain in the world?”, “What happens to people from other religions?” and “Does the Bible conflict with modern science?” Skeptics will meet Mondays at 7pm at the Copans' home in Wellington starting September 27.  We’ll meet outdoors on our patio to help everyone stay safe, and people are welcome to Zoom into the meetings as well. This is a great opportunity for you to invite a friend or loved one who doesn’t believe or who doesn’t have a church home. Sign up at https://communityofhope.church/groups/ ·      Our Apologetics group will meet Thursdays at 7pm over Zoom.  This group covers the same information as the Skeptic group, but is designed for Christians to get answers to intellectual questions so they can grow and also help others believe in Jesus. Apologetics starts September 16. Register at https://communityofhope.church/groups/ ·      COH Has Job Openings!  Learn more at https://communityofhope.church/employment ·      Thank you for your financial support, which makes it possible for us to minister to you and to our community!  Consider setting up automated giving to help you be consistent even when you’re traveling. To give to Community of Hope go to https://communityofhope.church/give.

09-12-2021
Dr. E. Dale Locke (Loxahatchee, WPB & Online), Rev. Efrain Silva (COH Español)
Sermon Series: I Am Community of Hope
Week 2: Just this
English PDF file for printing.
Para imprimir el archivo PDF en Español

 

Icebreaker: After your first visit to Community of Hope, why did you decide to keep coming back? 

 

1. Read our memory verse for this sermon series: Matthew 28:16-20: Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

Read our mission statement together, which comes from those verses: Community of Hope exists to interest disinterested people in Jesus Christ and grow together into fully devoted followers of him. 

 

2. Pastor Dale says there are two types of churches: museums for saints and hospitals for sinners.  Explain what he means by that.  What’s the difference between the two?

 

3. What do you think the average unchurched person thinks or feels about churches in general, and why do they feel that way?

 

4. Read Romans 2:4: Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

 

What thoughts or feelings come to you when you read this verse? 

 

5. If you’ve ever observed a situation where kindness was an agent of change in someone’s life, share about that. 

6. Pastor Steve Sjogren said: “I believe kindness brings with it incredible power to break down spiritual strongholds and to tee up human hearts to receive the Gospel.”

How can our church build a culture of kindness for the sake of the Gospel?

 

7. Read 2 Timothy 2:23-26: Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

 

Notice the word “kind” in this passage.  Why does kindness work better than arguing when it comes to evangelism? 

8. Jesus was accused of being a “friend of sinners” in Matthew 11:19.  What could we do as a church and as individuals to get a similar reputation today? 

 

9. Read Titus 3:3-7: At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

 

The Apostle Paul had a deep awareness of how much he needed God’s kindness when he was saved.  How did that awareness impact Paul’s outreach to people who were far from God? 

 

10. Share a personal example of when you needed and received God’s kindness in your own life.

11. Gary Haugen in his book, Just Courage, tells of a time when he, his father, and his two older brothers were going to hike partway up Mount Rainier. Gary wasn’t sure he could make it and was so afraid that he persuaded his dad to let him stay in the visitor’s center for the afternoon. He writes:

“The visitor’s center was warm and comfortable, with lots of interesting things to watch and read. I devoured the information and explored every corner, and judging by the crowd, it was clearly the place to be. As the afternoon stretched on, however, the massive visitor’s center started to feel awfully small. The warm air felt stuffy, and the stuffed wild animals started to seem just – dead. The inspiring loop videos about extraordinary people who climbed the mountain weren’t as interesting the sixth and seventh times, and they made me wish I could be one of those actually climbing the mountain instead of reading about it. I felt bored, sleepy, and small – and I missed my dad. I was totally stuck. Totally safe but totally stuck.

“After the longest afternoon of my ten-year old life, Dad and my brothers returned flushed with their triumph. Their faces were red from the cold and their eyes clear with delight. They were wet from the snow, famished, dehydrated, and nursing scrapes from the rocks and ice, but on the long drive home they had something else. My brothers had stories and an unforgettable day with their dad on a great mountain.”

Many Christians play it safe and miss out on the adventure of helping others come to Christ.  What risks could you take in the coming weeks to be part of Jesus’ Great Commission?   

Getting practical: 

·      Plan ways to show kindness to the people you listed last week.  Keep praying for them! 

·      Look for opportunities to also drop a hint connecting your kindness to Jesus, so the people don’t just think you’re a nice person.

·      Consider going out to a restaurant as a group. Look for ways to be especially kind to the server and tip them well.

 

Ready for your next step? – If you would like to take a next step in your faith journey, such as trusting your life to Christ or getting baptized, text the word “Next” to 561-264-6079 and follow the steps there, and we’ll contact you to help you do that.

 

News and Announcements:

·      New Here?  Let us know who you are by texting “connect” to 561-264-6079.

·      Financial Peace University is Dave Ramsey's 9-week class that teaches you how to pay off debt, save and invest for your future. Our Loxahatchee FPU class will meet Thursdays at 7pm at the Loxahatchee Campus starting September 23. Free childcare is available. Course cost of $64/family is paid directly to Ramsey+. Register at https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/classes/1139003

 

·      Our Support Groups are available for anyone to join. If you or someone you know needs support to get through a challenging season like grief, divorce, mental illness, recovery, go to our groups page to register: https://communityofhope.church/groups/  These groups are a great opportunity to connect someone you know to Jesus Christ. They are open to everyone, whether they’re believers or not. 

 

·      Our Skeptics group is designed for people who aren't yet sure about Christianity to provide a safe place to discuss typical barriers to faith like, “Why is there suffering and pain in the world?”, “What happens to people from other religions?” and “Does the Bible conflict with modern science?” Skeptics will meet Mondays at 7pm at the Copans' home in Wellington starting September 27.  We’ll meet outdoors on our patio to help everyone stay safe, and people are welcome to Zoom into the meetings as well. This is a great opportunity for you to invite a friend or loved one who doesn’t believe or who doesn’t have a church home. Sign up at https://communityofhope.church/groups/

 

·      Our Apologetics group will meet Thursdays at 7pm over Zoom.  This group covers the same information as the Skeptic group, but is designed for Christians to get answers to intellectual questions so they can grow and also help others believe in Jesus. Apologetics starts September 16. Register at https://communityofhope.church/groups/

 

·      COH Has Job Openings!  Learn more at https://communityofhope.church/employment

 

·      Thank you for your financial support, which makes it possible for us to minister to you and to our community!  Consider setting up automated giving to help you be consistent even when you’re traveling. To give to Community of Hope go to https://communityofhope.church/give.

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